1. CHOOSING A PROGRAM THAT IS FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR SCHEDULE
A majority of professionals that look for an MBA degree often choose a program that is flexible with both their work and family schedules. While a majority of programs stress flexibility, it’s important that you keep a few factors in mind.
Full or Part-Time?
As a busy professional, you don’t want to sacrifice the quality of your work, or commitment to your career in exchange for attending an MBA program. While some programs may tout their flexibility with scheduling, each program you research will require a commitment, both inside and outside of the classroom. It’s important that you research the full time requirements of each program carefully, examining the entire program’s class and meeting schedules.
Online vs. Hybrid?
A popular choice with many professionals lately is to participate in online MBA programs. While these may be convienent, you may be sacrificing valuable networking and team-building opportunities by studying online only. If online education fits better with your schedule, investigate a hybrid program that allows you to attend a majority of your classes online, while still providing you several in-classroom opportunities to collaborate and network with students and professors on a weekend session.
Baldwin Wallace Approach to Flexibility
Baldwin Wallace offers both traditional and hybrid MBA programs that are flexible with your schedule needs. With our traditional MBA programs, a student can structure the number of classes taken each semester to fit better with their work and family schedules, along with their budget. Our hybrid MBA program allows students to complete three-quarters of their coursework online, while meeting on campus for just seven weekend sessions over the two-year program.
2. CHOOSING A PROGRAM THAT WILL PROVIDE THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT
After deciding that now is the time to return to school for an MBA you need to establish the main reason you are pursuing the degree. Are you looking for a career change? Or are you looking to improve your knowledge and value in a current position or promotion track? The answers to these questions should help you decide on an MBA program that will provide the best return on investment.
Choosing a MBA Program & Faculty
The right MBA program can help your career get moving in the right direction and provide the best return on investment. It’s important that when choosing a school to ensure there is a program that is relevant to your particular career ambitions, and taught by faculty members that have been successful in that area of study and work.
Make a List of the Things That Matter To You
A popular way to choose a program that fits your career needs is to create a list of the attributes and skills that matter to you and can help you succeed professionally. Once you have determined which skills you want to focus on, you are in a better position to consider the various MBA specialties and programs that are available to you. When reviewing MBA programs, it’s important to use this matrix when comparing not only the school itself, but also the various MBA programs it offers.
Helping You To Reach Your Professional Goals
Baldwin Wallace is focused upon teaching and helping you reach your career and MBA objectives. With seven different areas of concentration, taught by a distinguished group of faculty, Baldwin Wallace provides intense support that can help you succeed academically and professionally. Our pragmatic/applied approach to your degree allows you not only to learn about business theory and knowledge, but also engages with you on how to apply that theory and business knowledge in your specific industry. This approach puts you in the best possible position for further career growth, developing key leadership skills by building a strong foundation of business theory and applicable knowledge.
3. CHOOSING A PROGRAM THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET OR TUITION REIMBURSEMENT
An MBA degree is an important and costly investment that professionals make in themselves to achieve their career ambitions. So when choosing an MBA program, review the payment programs available to you as a potential student.
Flexible Payments & Tuition Reimbursement
Often, corporations offer some sort of tuition reimbursement plan for their employees that allows them to further their education with an MBA degree. It’s important that when reviewing your options, you look for a program that allows you the flexibility to manage out-of-pocket expenses. Some programs have a flexible payment program, that allows you to structure the number of classes taken to coincide with the level of tuition reimbursement offered by their company.
Return on Investment
Enhancing your return on investment is an important factor when choosing an MBA program. Look for the value being provided by the program through networking opportunities from fellow students and faculty, as well as the institution’s reputation in the local business region. Fortunately, according to a recent GMAC survey, the return on investment for MBA students is rapid, with the average payback within 4 years, and 86% of graduates meeting or exceeding their salary expectations after completion.
Baldwin Wallace – Affordable Cost & High Return on Investment
Baldwin Wallace has a strong reputation in the Northeast Ohio region and Midwest United States as a quality center for MBA education, with over 40 years of educating MBA professionals. Your business network will greatly expand through an MBA program with BW, with over 400 current MBA students whom are working professionals, 6,500 MBA graduates, and a distinctive faculty composed of outstanding and well connected academicians and experienced local business leaders.
4. CHOOSING A PROGRAM WITH FACULTY THAT CAN HELP YOU SUCCEED
When choosing an MBA program, the quality of the program’s faculty is an important factor. The quality of faculty weighs heavily into your experience and the ability to apply what you learn to your career.
A Growing Problem with MBA Faculty that YOU Must Avoid.
Often, MBA programs are not optimized, or fully leveraged because they are focused predominantly upon research and theory. This creates a disconnect between the
curriculum, and the ability of the student to apply that theory and knowledge in their own real world business environment.
A Faculty Portfolio that Includes Real-World Business Experience
When choosing an MBA program, it’s important that the faculty is composed of both outstanding academicians and experienced business leaders. This diverse blend will foster a unique learning environment based on both management innovation and development, allowing you not only to gain knowledge on important theories, but also learn how to implement them in today’s business environment.
BWU – A Combination of Academic PHDs, Business World PHDs, & Corporate Executives
Baldwin Wallace has concentrated on educating today’s business leaders by focusing on a balanced MBA program that teaches business knowledge, theory, and application/practice. This is a unique approach, compared to those institutions that have an over-arching focus upon research and publishing. Within the MBA department, teaching is the number one priority, taking a systems approach to our students education. By taking this holistic, integrated, and strategic turn key approach, our students develop tremendous leadership skills and business acumen.
5. Choosing a Highly Regarded Program, Connected to Regional Business Leaders & Community
As you weigh the factors involved in selecting an MBA program, the quality and reputation of the program are key factors to consider. It’s important that you understand both the academic & professional backgrounds of the faculty who will be teaching you, and the opportunity for you to enhance your professional network & career through new connections with the business community through the faculty and your peer students.
Status Check – Tips for Checking Brand Reputation
As a prospective student, you have a number of different options available to you when choosing your MBA program. Of course, time and costs are often important considerations, but not exclusive. The reputation of the program in the business community can have a tremendous impact on your ability to achieve a high return on your investment. Additionally, it’s important to understand what level of business experience is required of students when entering any program. An MBA program that requires that its students are working professionals enables a much more dynamic classroom environment, providing you real-world multi-functional team project opportunities enhancing your education. This format also enables you to interact with business leaders across multiple industries and companies. A program must have critical mass/size, brand image, and engaged students across the business school to attract superb faculty.
Baldwin Wallace University’s MBA Program – Recognized, Ranked, Admired
Baldwin Wallace University’s MBA Program has been recognized as one of the top programs in the region for many years. In fact, BWU was one of the first institutions in the region to establish an MBA program, more than 40 years ago, and remains one of the largest MBA programs in Ohio. Recently, US News and World Report ranked the BWU Hybrid MBA program the top online MBA program in Ohio. Due to this recognition and highly vaunted MBA brand, BWU attracts superb faculty members and a very strong core of MBA students who are leaders in industry.
BWU’s portfolio of MBA faculty are well credentialed both academically and professionally. Thus, they teach our students not only from the theoretical perspective, but also how to apply that theory into real world practice, in many cases providing examples of implementation. BWU’s MBA students are business professionals and leaders from Fortune 500 companies, emerging small start-ups, local non-profit organizations, and international businesses. This, in addition to BWU’s small class sizes and numerous team projects, allows you to collaborate and network closely with business leaders representing multiple industries and professional responsibilities from across the region.
275 Eastland Road Berea, Ohio 44017-2088
For More Information, go to www.BW.edu/MBA or call us at 440-826-2392